Have a 51 truck. recieved some history about it. truck was run until 1978. for 25 years it sat. sold 3-4 years ago to a guy who tackled some bodywork. Now I have it.
There is some pitting around the door frames and the truck is from the NW and I suspect (without knowing for sure) that the cab top may have some pitting under the seal coat of bondo. Definitley some pitting under the dash probaly from leaking around the window and fresh air cowl.
Cab has grey primer on it. looks like rattle can primer. underneath the grey is what appears to be some red primer on top of a skim coat of bondo and repaired sheetmetal (looks like rattle can red primer too). Owner did a nice job cutting out cab corners, floors, and other rusted out areas and patched with repair panels. Welding looks very clean and done right.
Cab is worth saving. BUT this is my dillemma: A small silver dollar size piece of primer and skim bondo lifted and I picked at it and popped it off. Metal was clean anbd bright underneath but, the bondo flaked.
Around certain areas of the cab are some very small dotting areas of what looks like flash rust coming through the grey primer.
So I have been thinking about the right thing to do...and have toyed with just sanding through the primer or washing it off, and retain the bondo repair areas where the patch panels were blended etc. The truck certainly does not have globs of bondo lopped on, but rather it appears it was laid on just enough to smooth out areas.
The other option is to haul it two hours away and have the cab media blasted down to bare steel and start over....which I don't really want to do...I would like to try and save the bodywork done.
But if the body work has flaked in one spot...it more than likely will do the same in other areas. ??
I want to epoxy prime and lay down some nice top coats when it's done.
So, what to do what to do?
If I wash off the existing primer coats and leave the bondo and spray with epoxy primer will that seal the small areas of flash rust and bondo? And will that prevent rust through of the new paint job in a year or 5?
Is the risk too great and that the bondo may flake after I pump some expensive primer and topcoats over it...and kis that taking too much of a risk.
So...give me some advice...
What would you do if you want to paint the truck and make it look really nice again.
tom
